Friday, June 08, 2007

Michael Tolliver Lives

I guess it just snuck up on me, but Armistead Maupin has finally written another book for his awesome Tales of the City series: Michael Tolliver Lives.

According to Maupin, this is not a followup to the original books, but how can it be anything else? From the blurbs I can find it will include Michael of course, plus Brian and Mrs. Madrigal. Considering how close Mona and Mouse were, you know that she too will appear.

For years, Maupin has stated that he would not write any more to the series, as it was supposed to be about farm girl Mary Ann coming to the big city of San Francisco. Once she moved on, that was the end of the story, so said Maupin. But now we get to find out what happened to Michael,who had been diagnosed with HIV in the previously final book.

I have been a huge fan of this series for a couple of decades now. There is one passage about a closeted man that Michael discovers is gay. He says something to the effect of "yea, I did see he wore green on Thursdays." To this day I wear green for fun every week! I found a hardcover 6-volume collectors set that I purchased. Unfortunately, upon lending out the books to other to read, one book never made it back and is lost forever. Damn!

As I write this I am waiting for our local gay bookstore in Raleigh, White Rabbit Books, to open. Hopefully they will have copies when it releases next Tuesday, in which case I will spend my pink dollars at a pink store. Otherwise I will get it from Amazon. When the gay book reading group I belong to meets comes this Friday, I already know what I will be talking about!